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Short Trip To Baja


Condor

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WTG Condor!

Not to be a “downer”, but isn’t it a bit dicey with bandito’s down South there?  And/or Federalize?

I’d love to go there, but having run their gauntlets before, I’ve chickened out on the caution side.  You risk it just camping in the wild anymore - in Baja, certainly in the AU areas..... Y/N?  Packing the prospecting stuff is like painting a red flag on your tush. IMHO

 

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5 hours ago, dgatleyDP said:

WTG Condor!

Not to be a “downer”, but isn’t it a bit dicey with bandito’s down South there?  And/or Federalize?

I’d love to go there, but having run their gauntlets before, I’ve chickened out on the caution side.  You risk it just camping in the wild anymore - in Baja, certainly in the AU areas..... Y/N?  Packing the prospecting stuff is like painting a red flag on your tush. IMHO

 

 Frankly, I don't advocate anyone taking the kinds risks I take, whether riding a Rokon in rough ground or prospecting in Baja.  Certainly there are enough assholes on both sides of the border to make prospecting a dangerous hobby.  Several years ago two hunters from here in Yuma were killed in N. AZ by a fellow they befriended on their hunt.  Is it more likely in Baja, possibly.  Paul and I had our GPZ's stolen from my driveway in Yuma.  Would you flash your Rolex after dark in Detroit?  Did the Argonauts of all the various gold rushes stay home because there were wild animals,  dangerous serpents, bandits or wild Injuns?  It is all a personal choice and everyone gets to decide how much risk is acceptable. When I start encountering shoeclerks from Payless in Baja, then I'll know it's time to move on.   I've been traveling in Baja for over 50 years, with very few problems.  That may all change tomorrow, but until it does I'll take my adventures where I find them. 

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Condor, thanks for speaking frankly about it.... because, you are right.

Baja is a wonderfully beautiful place, some absolutely terrific people, but the narco economy has changed things for the worse, and without being able to “pack”, you have very little protection against the bad guys there except having extra buddies.

I’ve been all over Baja, almost as long as you.  The mining areas have become dicey locations more than ever.  So, brave as you may be, watch yourselves.

  • There’s a lot of gold down there, but it’s not worth you life, and we’d miss your post’s:cool::biggrin::sad:
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Them's some fine looking chunks of gold pardner :smile:

Those Rokons are something else - was a dealer back when they had just reopened the business, but unfortunately the parts backup was non-existent at the time so we had to drop them after a couple years. Here I am back in 1993 on the floodplain of Knik Glacier outside on Anchorage on a ride with my wife. She handled it fine on easy terrain but it is something else trying to handle them in the really rough stuff since there is no suspension beyond tire pressure. The big advantage as you know is following goat trails on steep slopes that would tip an ATV over sideways in a heartbeat and navigating in dense trees and such where a regular ATV cannot pass.

steve-rokon-knik-1993.jpg

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3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Them's some fine looking chunks of gold pardner :smile:

Those Rokons are something else - was a dealer back when they had just reopened the business, but unfortunately the parts backup was non-existent at the time so we had to drop them after a couple years. Here I am back in 1993 on the floodplain of Knik Glacier outside on Anchorage on a ride with my wife. She handled it fine on easy terrain but it is something else trying to handle them in the really rough stuff since there is no suspension beyond tire pressure. The big advantage as you know is following goat trails on steep slopes that would tip an ATV over sideways in a heartbeat and navigating in dense trees and such where a regular ATV cannot pass.

steve-rokon-knik-1993.jpg

The tire options are even better now.  Great radial tires out there really help the side hilling goat trail riding.  I'll be out to SawTooth this summer exploring the "ghost roads" up in those hills.

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